Finding Eachother Again
by BlondBardofAlabama
Summary: Xena and Gabrielle must finish their required time on earth before they can spend eternity together, a fate that is worse than death for the soul mates. They've found each other again and again in past lives, but with their time on earth coming to an end, will they be able to find each other in present day America? (Rated M for later chs, also word count is wrong? More than 251.)
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth sat at her usual table, reading the headlines in the morning paper. Judging by the bustle of the people around her, she assumed it must've been around noon- the diner always got really busy around noon, and she should know- she was here almost every day. She wasn't sure why she was drawn to this place, but it had proved once or twice to be conducive to her writing. A struggling freelancer, Liz was constantly trying to write quality pieces for anything that would pay (and many things that would not), and she found herself often taking bizarre assignments so that she could manage to outrageous rent for her run down studio apartment.

She thought that maybe once she was very good at writing, but now she wasn't entirely sure. Everything she wrote seemed dry to her, like she lacked motivation or inspiration or possibly both. Ever since she had turned twenty three things had gotten significantly more difficult, and she had been having trouble sleeping. Dark circles had formed under her forest colored eyes, and her golden hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head.

"I'm never going to get anything accomplished today," She muttered to herself under her breath, frustrated. She took one last swig of her coffee and got up, shuffling to fit all of her papers into her small and overstuffed bag. "Hey Kimmy," she said to her usual waitress, "Keep the change."

Liz was fairly normal, or so she would like to think. As she made her way down the busy street of the city, she compared herself to those she saw around her. Why did she always feel so different from all of the other people around her? What was she missing? She had grown up in a small town in Wisconsin, and only moved to the city to follow her (now ex) boyfriend. They had lasted for a whole two months after they moved here… and then she caught him getting blown in the stairwell by some red headed girl. She was then on her own, and had struggled for the past four years to get an education and to make ends meet. She had done it, but she still felt… empty.

She climbed the steps of her rundown apartment building, which also happened to be the ugliest red brick building on the ugliest corner on the ugliest street. She hated almost everything about her building, but once she was within the safe, warm confines of her own room she would feel at peace, and the world outside of her shell would just melt away like it always did. This thought calmed her as she climbed the stairs, until she began to feel a little woozy. Worried that she had eaten a bad sausage muffin again, she reached for the bannister to steady herself, but her hand missed. She collapsed, and her forehead struck the ground, but she paid no attention to the pain or the warmth of the blood gushing from her brow, because in that moment, she remembered.

Memories flooded through her heart, soul, mind, and body like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly- everything made sense.

Kate had been searching for her for months already. Her awakening had happened almost two years previously, but she did not start searching for her long lost soul mate right away. At first, the tall, dark haired woman feared that she might be crazy, or worse, that she might not be. But then she continued to see signs, one witch even read _"She looks like herself, this time. – Joxer" _and she remembered her old friend Joxer and knew it had to be true. When she had enough money saved up she quit her job and began to look. It was when she put her entire soul into searching for her counterpart that she remembered the defining details of all of their past lives, and the situation that brought them to this arrangement.

In a previous life, her very first life, actually, Kate's name had been Xena. She had been a warrior princess, and although she committed many terrible crimes and had slain many men, she also did quite a lot of good in her time. Xena had also been very fortunate, because she found her soul mate much earlier than the average human being does. According to Aries, usually it takes a person at least twenty lives, which equals out to about 1800 years or so. But Xena had found Gabrielle right away, they were bound together like two magnets, and this had complicated things.

Had they found each other later, they would've been able to expire together, in peace. Their souls would've moved on together, and they would've rested quietly in heaven for all eternity. However, when it was determined by higher powers that their souls had not spent enough time as mortal humans on earth, they were doomed to walk to the earth for the next two thousand years or so, looking for each other.

Xena had been in heaven for a number of years when Gabrielle finally breathed her last of that life. Her soul immediately found Xena's side and they embraced, overjoyed that they were finally reunited. This breath of happiness lasted only for a minute, as Aries immediately showed up to ruin things, as he almost always managed to do. "Ladies," the god had said, his hair long again and his body as firm and well-oiled as ever. He had a mischievous smirk on his face, the one that instantly set Xena's blood aflame with anger. Aries was certainly up to something, and his next words confirmed it. "I'm afraid this reunion will be short lived, girls. You see, you haven't exactly met your requirements on earth, yet."

Gabrielle and Xena held each other's hands as they both cried. The taller, dark haired woman's tears fell silently, while Gabrielle sobbed aloud. Aries revealed that until the year 2050, they were bound to be born and reborn again, and would spend each life looking for each other. Of course, certain allowances would be made to help them find each other. They would both be born on the exact same day, within the same country. Sounds easy, right? It was, at first. However, as the world grew, this became harder and harder. It was easy to ride through Greece asking if any young adult women were born on a certain day, but it was very difficult to search the United States in such a way. What's worse is that although one of the two _always _remembered, sometimes the other would remember much later or not at all. And how can you search for a person that doesn't know they need to be found?

Although they had failed in a few of their lives, the souls of Xena and Gabrielle had a fairly outstanding track record of finding each other. But, the year was 2012, and they were both 23 years old. This was the last time they could find each other, and then they would spend the rest of eternity in each other's arms. _That _would be paradise.

Kate, or shall we say, Xena, pushed her dark hair behind her ears, letting it rest there. She was sitting in her hotel, a cheap motel 6, reading the suggestions for local restaurants. Suddenly, the text on the page began to fade and warp around itself, until all that was left was a simple message. "She remembers. – Joxer." She smiled, kissing the pamphlet, silently thanking her friend for still watching over her over all of these years. She began to pack, and then looked at herself in the mirror. In the glass she saw _her _eyes. In some other past lives she had not looked at all like herself, but in this life she was Xena again, and she loved it. "And that means…" She muttered to herself as she zipped her bags and headed down the hallway to check out, "Gabrielle will look like herself, too."


	2. Chapter 2-

With every new life that Xena and Gabrielle had to endure, there came new challenges. For Xena, the past two years had been filled with them, and the past few months even more so. She hadn't been sure if Gabrielle had 'woken up' to their fates and remembered her past lives yet, but she had searched anyway, and so far her search had been in vain. She knew that above all else, Gabrielle was a bard- a great story teller and writer. In previous lives she had been sure to read every new novel that came out, hoping one of them would have hints of the famous battling bard of Podidea mingled in with the words. That had worked a couple of times- connecting with the soul that shone through the writing, even when the author was oblivious to the fate. A couple of times Xena had gotten there before Gabrielle remembered that they were supposed to find each other, and vice versa. But, when they were embraced by their soul mates, and they felt the warm familiar touch- anyone would remember their purpose, then.

Xena awoke with a start as the plane she was on experienced a small degree of turbulence. She glanced out the window and noticed that it must be storming- around them was dark and ominous. She felt a little apprehensive about this, but swallowed her fear. _"You are a warrior princess. You should not fear a silly airplane." _Even so, in her earlier lives, especially those across the sea back in greece in ancient times, she never would've imagined she'd ever ride on such a piece of machinery- and Xena had done much, much stranger things. She felt a pain in her temple, and asked the flight attendant for a soda. The last thing she needed right now was a headache. She ordered a sprite and let the fuzzy beverage tickle her throat, and took some Benadryl, dozing off yet again.

She dreamed of one of their previous lives, one of the most dramatic and trial filled ones they've experienced, save the first. That was one of the very few lives in which they had been born different genders, but of course the timing was all wrong. Gabrielle was born the daughter of a wealthy white plantation owner in South Carolina, and so on the same day Xena was born a son to a slave that the wealthy man owned. Without ever knowing of it, they grew up side by side, hers a life of riches and Xena's a life of poverty and hard work. When they were sixteen, Gabrielle's father took her out to the cotton fields where Xena, who then went by the name of Thomas, was working. Their eyes locked and Xena instantly remembered everything, she approached Gabrielle to speak to her and was caught by her father, who ordered Gabby to punish the 'slave boy' for his insolence.

Gabrielle cried and begged her father for mercy 'on the boy,' she didn't agree to the harsh treatment of slaves and wanted none of it. Her father screamed at her and placed the whip in her hands. Slouched and beaten, the girl walked behind the man who was Xena, lifted the whip lightly. The graze barely tapped the broad, muscular shoulders of the handsome, dark skinned slave, but it did touch the warrior… just enough to send a jolt through the whip. Xena heard the southern belle behind her gasp, and turned her head around a little bit to see her. Out of the corner of the eye she could see Gabby's hand rise to cover her mouth, could hear as she started to sob softly. _"She knows!" _Xena thought, _"She has seen what I have seen!" _Then the father barked for Gabby to hit harder, five times. Xena silently dared him to bring it, knowing that the whipping was trivial at the moment. She had found her love, nothing else mattered. Gabrielle knew that they could get in a lot of trouble if she didn't obey the slave driver, so she raised her arms high and finished the whipping, leaving long lacerations on the back of the slave.

Later that night, Gabby snuck into the small shed in which Xena lived. Thomas's parents had died long ago, and so the one room shack was unoccupied except for the pair. The girl looked nothing like Gabrielle, but Xena could see through her appearance and recognize her even still- her expressions, the way she carried herself, all the same soul. Gabrielle thought the very same of the man who was Xena.

"Even in ancient Greece, we knew slavery was wrong," Gabrielle told Xena as they held hands in the cabin, wrapped in the warmth of each other's embrace, "I can't believe this."

Xena stayed quiet for a moment, running her fingers through Gabby's hair, and then said in a soft, deep voice, "We have to run away."

"Xena, you'll be hanged! Do you know what they'll do to us- mostly to you- if they catch us!" Gabrielle looked into the brown eyes, so different from the icy blue ones she was used to, but also so familiar.

"I know Gabrielle, but you're the only thing in the world I care about. You're the most important thing in my life… for this life, and for any others."

That night they made love in the cabin. Sex was much different from the usual when they were both women, but in the heat of their passion and thankfulness to see each other, neither lover cared. It was the first time in their 'new bodies' for both of them, and Xena watched Gabbrielle with hungry eyes as the bard stripped in front of her. Her body was beautiful, as always, and Xena felt how wet she was when she slipped over her waist, straddling the warrior. Xena felt a tightness in her loins, felt her lower half become firm as all the blood in her body seemed to leave her brain and travel elsewhere. The warrior groaned, hungry for the touch of her love. Delicately, the bard unlaced the front of the warrior's breeches, and the firm organ popped out at the ready. Both naked, they began to kiss, their bodies trembling with excitement and ecstasy. Xena was soon kissing Gabrielle all over her naked body, from her mouth, tracing down her neck, to her breasts, and finally down her hips all the way to her sex. She laid Gabby down and put the woman's legs behind her manly dark head, entering her with her tongue. The bard gasped, making sounds of pleasure, as Xena pleasured her in a way that they had both perfected over the millennia. Finally, it had been too much to bear; Gabrielle dug her hands into the toned hips of the warrior, and whispered 'now,' guiding the pulsing erection into her.

After they were satisfied, they laid with each other, kissing, loving, and reminiscing over the years. "We'll leave tomorrow," Gabrielle said, "meet at the oak on Smither's Road at midnight."

The plane landed before any more of the story could be replayed in her mind, and she frowned. They had met at midnight, and over the next few months had made it to a remote Caribbean island… but they could never outrun the political and monetary reach of Gabrielle's racist, slave owning father. Within three months of first seeing each other, Xena was beaten and hanged. Gabrielle died in childbirth eight months later. That was the closest they ever came to having a child. That was something that they never talked about.

_"Oh well, that was three lives ago," _Xena reassured herself, excitement growing at the idea that somewhere, someplace in the country, Gabrielle was looking for her, too, _"These Americans have evolved quite a lot, don't worry about it. Buck up, Princess. Let's go find your woman." _

**Hey everyone! I'm new to this, and I've never wrote anything like this before, so PLEASE let me know what you think! Or, if it is unclear and confusing let me know how I can make it better. Also, I realize this chapter has some delicate material in it, so please know that it was not meant to offend anyone! Thanks guys! :D**_  
_


	3. Chapter 3: Through the City

_*** Pretty long chapter, to make up for the time I wasn't able to update. Finals have started and I had a crazy Thanksgiving break, so forgive me! PLEASE read, fave, follow, and above all else, REVIEW! I would love some constructive criticism or some praise :) Thanks everyone!*  
_

Gabrielle trekked down the street, her knapsack on her back. She had decided the night before that she was going to be more proactive this time in the search of the soul mates- the blond bard was sick and tired of feeling like the sidekick, and in their last life on earth she was determined that she would not wait around helplessly like some impotent damsel in distress.

She wore a tight black turtle neck and jean pants, with a change of clothes or two tucked away into an old army bag. She had sold all of her things, and just left her apartment without even telling her landlord (not that it would matter, that rich old coot didn't even notice when his tenants came and went). In her bag she carried bottled water, her cell phone and charger, her laptop and notebook, the large amount of cash she had made from selling the majority of her possessions, and a .38 special pistol. The streets could be dangerous, especially for a petite blonde woman, and she planned to delve right into the heart of them…

_"Oh, but anyone who messes with me doesn't know what they have coming to them!" _She chuckled to herself, thinking about all of the times she had kicked some ass alongside the raven-haired beauty she was searching for.

She felt oddly free walking through the city- a busy, bustling city that once had felt like it had chained her. She used to feel shackled to her possessions, as if she was a slave to marble countertops and faux leather sofas. Not that she had ever owned any of those things- she had never really had much. A writer doesn't make money in a big city where nobody knows their name…. Unless…

The epiphany hit her square in the face, as if a cement block had fallen from one of the twenty story balconies above. She looked around, reading signs posted outside of restaurants and businesses. When she finally saw the four beautiful letters that spelt "W-I-F-I" posted outside of a small coffee shop, she clambered in the door. In a race to boot up her computer, she ripped it out of her bag, nearly dislodging the pistol from its safety pocket. With a quick glance around to make sure nobody saw the concealed firearm, she opened the tablet, and began typing. Within a few quick clicks, she was on her way to a free website hosting service.

" " was the name she picked out for her site. She staged it as her own freelance writing site, and posted a short biography about herself on the title page.

_"Elizabeth Simmons is a graduate of Union Community College, where she earned her associates degrees in Journalism and Communications. She currently enjoys traveling, writing, and looking for her soul mate."_

Now came the challenging part, which was creating a subtle portfolio of work that would lead Xena to her if _she _saw it, but that wouldn't tip off Aries or any other meddling party should they become aware of her whereabouts. She knew this would be extremely hard to do, so she ordered a coffee and got to work.

She sat at that table for the better part of the day, until the sunlight had gone down and the glow of the city lights surrounded the coffee shop. The only thing she had seemed to have written was;

_"We've watched two thousand years together,  
Sun rising and sun set,  
yet in THIS lonesome grave of life,  
our lips have never met.  
We search the globe religiously,  
a ritual, it seems  
and by the time we find each other  
we've forgotten what "love" means.  
Make haste, my love, please get here fast-  
My heart cries out for you  
I fear my Hope shall not quite last  
'til I find your love true.  
I'll be your princess or your Queen  
whatever you shall need.  
You'll be my warrior, my rock  
Our Curse will then be freed. _

Gabrielle entitled it "Of Soulmates" and made it her headlining post on her website's directory page. She then found a blog entry by a history student at NYU about the relevance of Xena as an archeological figure, and reposted it on her blog saying _"I found this article to be truly inspiring, and plan to use the mythological characters of Xena and Gabrielle in future writings." _Then, she wrote her number down for _"Serious Inquiries only involving freelance and contract journalism or creative works."_

"It's not much, but it's a start," The petite woman said aloud, before packing up her meager belongings and heading outside. It was dark, and the streets had grown cold and silent, but she had a hunch. This hunch was _crazy_- but so was everything else about the past two millennia, so Gabrielle couldn't be too picky about it.

She traveled for what seemed like hours, even though the fair skinned maid was sure it had been a little over an hour, if that. The wind ripped between the tall buildings and across the street like an Amazonian spear, and Gabrielle found herself shivering as the temperature bit through her clothing. After a while she paused, and looked around. The street around her was deserted, or so she thought. She had an eerie feeling, like the one an antelope gets right before it's about to get taken out by a lion. She closed her eyes, and concentrated, remembering words Xena had told her long ago, in a past life.

_"Hear the sounds behind the sounds."_

That's when she heard them.

The alley way she was in wasn't well lit, so she heard their clumsy footsteps well before they neared her. She could tell there were three- One appeared to be a light stepper, most likely a nerdy mastermind of the criminal trio. The second was a heavy, clumsy stepper. He sounded like an awkward bull calf stomping his way through the alley- which was quite a feat to accomplish, considering he was walking on flat, smooth concrete. The third man moved swiftly; Gabby could tell that he was tall, likely athletic. _"He will be the challenge," _She breathed to herself, before finally opening her eyes.

The clumsy one stumbled toward her, his face in a twisted grin, "C'mere, pretty lady, We won't hurt such a delicate flower," He chuckled and his lighter companions laughed with him, their leering buffoon faces circling and smiling at her like deranged circus clowns.

"Flower THIS!" She hissed out of them, lunging toward the fat one and throwing a swift right uppercut into his wide jaw. He reeled back, and she used his shoulders as leverage and flipped behind him. The upside to this move was that she landed right next to a pretty hefty rake someone had been using and had left outside. She quickly snapped the large, clunky rake end off the side of it, and examined her new fighting staff. The downside to this acrobatic show was that she was now even more cornered, with her back only inches from the side wall of the ally.

The criminals sensed this and they began to advance, pinning her up. She kept her balance on the balls of her feet, gripping her staff tightly, "This is your last chance!" She warned them, her temper flaring, "Don't make me hurt you!"

This warning only made them laugh more, and they began to mock her. They called her "little girl," and "pretty princess." She thought briefly about pulling out her pistol, but none of them appeared to have guns and she knew that she could handle them with the staff. Plus, she didn't want to _seriously _injure anyone, even if they were goons.

"I'm not a princess… I'm a QUEEN!" She yelled as she charged toward the fat, big footed member of the group. A swift knock to the shin had him hobbling on one foot, and another came down on his other shin and she pushed him with the end to knock him to the ground. Another tap to the head and the idiot was out cold.

This angered the mastermind of the plot, who rushed in at her at full speed… big mistake. One downward strike between his neck and shoulder had him eating concrete, moaning in pain. He was conscious, but barely, so she wasn't worried. She backed off of him, and turned her attention to the body builder of the group.

She could tell from looking at him that he had also been properly trained to fight. He had broad shoulders and a thick build, but a lean body composition- not a ripped beef cake like some of the fighters that Gab had seen on TV recently. His stance was proper, too, and he was coiled up like a cobra, ready to strike its prey. However, he seemed hesitant to move toward her, he just continued to creep around the alley at her, waiting for the perfect time to catch her off guard.

She took the bait, her adrenaline too pumped up to hinder the advancement. He seized the opportunity, flat hand hitting her on the side of the neck, knocking her sideways and causing her to lose grip of her staff. She scrambled to recover the piece of wood, and stood back up, gasping to regain the air that had been knocked out of her.

Besides that, when he had touched her she had seen a vision, and knew exactly whose reincarnation this goon actually was.

It was Julius Caesar.

She debated for a second or two what to do about this. Should she just pull out her revolver and shoot him now, and save the world and possibly herself and Xena a load of trouble down the road? Or should she assume that this man had no idea who he was anyway, and let it slide? She looked in his eyes, to see if she could see the cruel cold eyes of a conqueror. Did he have a vision too? Had he remembered his past life as well? She tried to see his face, to read his expressions, but the alley was far too dark. Instead, she waited for him to strike this time, and hit him three times in a row across the forehead. He went down, and she sprinted away.

_"I can't wait to find Xena," _She thought as she ran, _"Not only do I want to find her, but I wonder what she'll have to say about this."_


End file.
